Student-Athlete Spotlight: Jayci Andrews
The BSU Outdoor Women’s Track & Field team has been doing great at team meets, as BSU has not placed below 3rd during the outdoor season. One woman helping her team is Graduate Hurdler Jayci Andrews. Andrews graduated in 2020 as a Social Work major. Andrews is currently ranked 14th in all of NCAA Division III in the 400 Meter hurdles and is ranked 9th in the country in the 100 Meter Hurdles.
Andrews won the MASCAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the week two weeks in a row, as she said it was a tremendous honor. The latest was her 37th time winning the MASCAC award and 18th time winning during the Outdoor season. This season was her third time receiving the award in 2022.
Andrews is in her 4th outdoor season as a member of the Women’s Track & Field team, as she is using her final year of eligibility due to the pandemic. Andrews also did not participate in 2021, citing that “Covid was still heavy during that time and I wasn’t sure the season was going to be guaranteed.” Andrews also stated, “When Covid happened, I was devastated and fell distant from the sport. It took a long time for me to pick myself back up & get myself out of a dark state of mind, but I found my purpose again & I am so glad I decided to finish what I started even if the outcome is undesired. This year I am more prepared and devoted to putting in the extra work to make up for the time that passed. I am excited and very grateful I have this opportunity to be an athlete again.”
Andrews just recently won 1st place in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles at the Tufts Sunshine Classic last weekend. She ran for her season-best in the 400-meter, with a 1:03.76. Later, at the Jerry Gravel Classic, she achieved her season-best time of 14.26 seconds.
Andrews now holds nine different records with three relay records for BSU. She holds the indoor records in the 55-meter hurdles (8.50), 60-meter hurdles (8.68), long jump (17’6.75″), 200-meter dash (26.37), and 400-meter dash (57.14), as well as the outdoor records in the 100-meter hurdles (13.66), 400-meter hurdles (1:00.08), 400-meter dash (55.76) and long jump (17’8.75″). Jayci Andrews had records in both the Indoor & Outdoor 4 X 400 Relay, as well as the 4 X 100 Relay all achieved in the 2016 season.
Andrews has also won National Championships in the Indoor 60-meter Hurdles and the Outdoor 100-meter hurdles in the 2019 season. Andrews also has won All-American honors four times over her career. This achievement goes into her bigger goal this season which she said is to “chase after another individual championship and All-American honors.”
As for how the 2022 Outdoor season is going, Andrews said, “After not competing for 2 years, I am very content and proud of the progress I have made so far this season. The expectations of the weather can be frustrating to deal with, but situations like those are out of my control so I am only forced to make the best of it. I am excited to keep on rolling, and I can’t wait to finish my last season the right way.”
After she competes in her last season, Andrews said “I would like to continue my training and potentially lean towards the direction of competing for a more advanced and competitive track and field program if the opportunity presents itself.”
